The IT Echo of the Disappearance: Relational Psychotraumatological Analysis of the "Matty Clements" Case (AIPC/CIPR Model)

By: Massimo Lattanzi, Psychologist, Psychotherapist, PhD. Tiziana Calzone, Psychologist, Psychotherapist (Scientific Direction of AIPC - Italian Association of Psychology and Criminology and CIPR - Italian Center for Relational Psychotraumatology)

Section 1: Theoretical Framework: The Lens of AIPC/CIPR Relational Psychotraumatology

The analysis of the fictitious "Matty Clements" case exclusively adopts the rigorous AIPC/CIPR Model (Italian Association of Psychology and Criminology / Italian Center for Relational Psychotraumatology, Lattanzi and Calzone). This multidisciplinary approach is necessary because the unresolved nature of the event demands a focus on relational trauma as a pathology of the system itself, going beyond standard models of grief.

The focus is on relational trauma (also studied through ONOF), understood as a process that alters individual neurobiology, compromising emotional regulation and the ability to establish secure bonds.

The key concept is Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), the outcome of cumulative, prolonged, and interpersonal traumas (such as an ambiguous and unresolved loss). The crucial condition is the impossibility of escaping the threat within one's own relational context, triggering extreme defenses such as dissociation.

The central consequence of C-PTSD is affective dysregulation (polyvagal model), which manifests in oscillations between:

• Hyperarousal: Fight or flight response (anxiety, explosive anger).
• Hypoarousal: Freezing response (numbing, detachment, sense of emptiness).

Two fundamental AIPC/CIPR constructs are:

• Interpersonal Traumatic Resonance: The unaddressed wounds of one individual activate the latent vulnerabilities of another within the relational system.
• Traumatic Bubble: A closed, dysfunctional relational system that, following a shared trauma, continuously amplifies and re-enacts the pain, blocking processing.

Section 2: The Triggering Event and the Fracture of the Collective Self

Matty's unresolved disappearance configures as a chronic traumatic process generating group-level C-PTSD. The event destroys the group's intrinsic relational security, conveying the message: "the world is dangerous and our bonds are powerless."

The ambiguous loss (absence of a body or conclusion) prevents the initiation of physiological grief, trapping the group in a traumatic "continuous present" that denies the possibility of a coherent and meaningful narrative.

In response to this terror, the group defensively closes into the "traumatic bubble" (Lattanzi and Calzone). This system is governed by pacts of silence and pathological rituals. Any attempt to "move on" is perceived as a betrayal of the traumatic pact and loyalty to the missing friend, blocking processing.

Listen to the podcast on the AIPC Editore Spotify Channel MENTE|CRIMINE|TRAUMA, “The IT Echo of the Disappearance: Relational Psychotraumatological Analysis of the 'Matty Clements' Case” (AIPC/CIPR Model) click on the link:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4HHpYHln4EcMz0uQ884cif?si=uhS9lLQfQdKD2mGYJZWETA

Section 3: Dissociative Dynamics and Dysregulation in the Peer Group

Complex trauma triggers dissociation, a fragmentation of the personality as a survival mechanism. The Theory of Structural Dissociation explains this split into two parts:

• Apparently Normal Part (ANP): Oriented towards managing daily life, it tries to avoid/deny traumatic memories (numbing).
• Emotional Part (EP): Frozen at the moment of the trauma, carrying all the extreme emotions (terror, rage) and defensive behaviors (fight, flight, freeze).

The behaviors of the boys are expressions of this internal struggle: Avoidance (ANP dominance), Flashbacks/explosive reactions (EP intrusion), and Risk behaviors (self-destructive attempts at self-medication or EP expression).

Within the bubble, individual dissociations enter "traumatic resonance": the ANP of one member (denying the pain) conflicts with the EP of another (expressing it), creating instability, accusations, and a block of co-regulation.

Hypothetical Profiles and Dysregulation

The analysis differentiates the dissociative profiles in the group based on the dominance and interaction between ANP and EP:

• "The Denying Leader": This profile shows a dominant ANP. Their dysregulation is a controlled Hyperarousal, manifesting as anger, control, and suppression of traumatic material.
• "The Silent Witness": Characterized by a hypo-functioning ANP. The prevalent dysregulation is Hypoarousal/Freezing, expressed as numbing, social withdrawal, and apathy.
• "The Impulsive Angry One": Here, an intrusive EP is observed. The dysregulation is a clear Hyperarousal, leading to acting-out, aggression, and impulsivity.
• "The Ruminating Guilty One": In this case, the EP is dominant with the ANP in service (obsessive-compulsive). The dysregulation is characterized by Oscillation (anxiety/despair) that keeps the traumatic memory alive through obsessive self-blame.

Section 4: The "Survivor's Guilt": Analysis of a Childhood Burden

Survivor's guilt is a destructive dynamic rooted in having escaped. It is fueled by guilt over privilege ("Why me?") and guilt over perceived omission (not having done enough).

In the context of childhood, it is amplified by egocentric and magical thinking. Taking the blame (even if irrational) is a defense that provides an illusory sense of control over events, masking the intolerable anguish of absolute powerlessness.

Unaddressed guilt transforms into self-punishment and traumatic loyalty: the child does not allow themselves to enjoy life (self-sabotage) so as not to "betray" the memory of their friend.

In the AIPC/CIPR perspective, guilt is not just an individual phenomenon, but the dysfunctional glue and the central secret that keeps the "traumatic bubble" sealed, feeding the resonance of shame and mutual suspicion within the group.

Section 5: The Family Context: The Legacy of Pain and Intergenerational Traumatic Resonance

The extended analysis to the family context reveals that the crisis reactivates the parents' traumatic scripts and unresolved grief: the event is a detonator that unveils the "legacy of intergenerational pain."

A parent dysregulated by their own reactivated trauma cannot offer a "secure base." On the contrary, through "interpersonal traumatic resonance," the parent's anxiety tunes into the child's anxiety, creating a loop of co-dysregulation that exponentially increases the terror.

Problematic parental reactions include:

• Overprotective: Communicates to the child that "the world is terrifying" and reinforces learned helplessness.
• Denying/Avoidant: Creates a family taboo about the loss, forcing the child to suppress and dissociate their emotions.
• "Enmeshed": Loses the adult function, forcing the child to manage the parental pain as well (role reversal).

Such dynamics lead to the Paradox of the Frightened/Frightening Caregiver: the primary source of security turns into a source of alarm. This situation is the matrix of Disorganized Attachment, a serious risk factor for the development of complex psychopathology.

Section 6: Clinical Synthesis and Perspectives for Narrative Integration

The group and families are a multi-level system trapped, where individual symptoms are adaptive expressions of a deep systemic wound.

Integrated Psychotraumatological Profile

The system is blocked by a Traumatic Bubble (sealed by shared guilt and secrecy), characterized by Dissociative Fragmentation (ANP/EP struggle) and chronic Affective Dysregulation, all amplified by Intergenerational Traumatic Resonance with family traumas.

Long-Term Consequences

Unintegrated trauma predisposes the protagonists to develop Personality Disorders (especially Borderline), chronic depression in adulthood, and increases vulnerability to future victimization or violent behaviors (acting-out).

Principles for Integration and Healing (AIPC/CIPR approach)

The healing journey follows the phased approach aimed at the system:

• Phase 1: Stabilization and Safety: Priority on re-establishing neurobiological and relational safety (e.g., biofeedback).
• Phase 2: Processing Traumatic Memories: Integration of the memories of the Emotional Parts (EP) by the ANP.
• Phase 3: Integration and Reconnection: Transformation of guilt and the traumatic pact into a healthy bond of solidarity and remembrance.

Bibliographical References

AIPC/CIPR References (Internal)

• Lattanzi, M., Calzone, T. (2023). The AIPC/CIPR Relational Psychotraumatology Model: Concepts of Resonance and Traumatic Bubble. (Internal AIPC Publication).
• Lattanzi, M. (2022). Complex Trauma and Affective Dysregulation: A Neurobiological and Polyvagal Approach. (AIPC Article, available on the official website).
• AIPC - Italian Association of Psychology and Criminology. National Observatory on Family Homicides (ONOF): Annual Report on Relational Dynamics. (Internal statistical data and qualitative analysis).
• Lattanzi, M., Calzone, T. (2024). From Structural Dissociation to Reconnection: Phased Therapy in C-PTSD. (Notebooks of Relational Psychotraumatology, CIPR).
• AIPC/CIPR. (In press). Survivor's Guilt and Traumatic Loyalty in Family Systems.

General References (External)

• van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.
• Ogden, P., Minton, K., Pain, C. (2006). Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Liotti, G., Farina, B. (2011). Long-term developments of trauma and dissociation. Franco Angeli.

Reference Websites

• Official AIPC Website: www.associazioneitalianadipsicologiaecriminologia.it

Request for Specialist Support

If you recognize yourself in the relational and traumatic dynamics described here, or if you feel that adverse experiences have deeply influenced your life and emotional regulation, you are not alone.

The Italian Center for Relational Psychotraumatology (CIPR) offers a specialist approach to address complex trauma and support healing, integrating advanced methodologies such as biofeedback to help you regain balance and well-being.

Our professionals are ready to welcome you with personalized therapeutic paths in Pescara and Rome.

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